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Rockies Rumors: Holliday, Fuentes, Torrealba

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The Rockies have been even worse than the Padres – 19 games under .500, 10 games out in a lousy division.  According to Tracy Ringolsby, they’ll decide at the All-Star break whether to officially become sellers.

Let’s start with closer Brian Fuentes, whose ERA jumped from 2.56 to 3.94 last night.  Reports had the suitors at the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, and A’s.  Ringolsby says to cross the A’s off the list and add the Rays, Cubs, and Cardinals.  Ken Rosenthal tossed the Cubs into the mix on June 12th, but then changed that report.  Troy E. Renck adds the Cardinals to the list.

Ringolsby rattles off teams interested in Matt Holliday: Cardinals, Rays, Angels, Dodgers, and Royals.  Definitely some new names in there.  Holliday is hitting .332/.415/.538 in 299 plate appearances (.309/.401/.472 on the road).  Ringolsby says the A’s will "kick the tires" on Holliday but are more likely to pursue Willy Taveras. 

We also have RotoWire, which reports that catcher Yorvit Torrealba told the Tigers’ radio network that he wants to be traded.  After nearly signing with the Mets, Torrealba inked a two-year, $7.25MM deal with the Rockies.  He is hitting as badly as expected: .252/.291/.387 in 180 PAs.  He’s thrown out only 24% of runners, up slightly from last year. Torrealba has been splitting time with Chris Iannetta since May.

Olney’s Latest: Wolf, Lohse, Sabathia, Fuentes, Oswalt, Bailey

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Buster Olney has a new column up. Let’s take a look:

  • He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He’s been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over.
  • Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle Lohse for what the Cardinals are paying ($4.25MM), only Omar Minaya passed.
  • Olney doesn’t see much in the speculation about the Angels wanting C.C. Sabathia. With Kelvim Escobar’s rehab going well, great first-half performances from Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and John Lackey likely to improve going forward, why should they make a push for C.C.? Olney sees the Brewers and the Cubs as more interested parties. (Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and the Rays as C.C. suitors yesterday.) Later in the post, Olney notes that Sabathia has a 1.96 ERA in his last fourteen starts. Yowza.
  • How the Rockies fare over the next two weeks could determine what becomes of Brian Fuentes.
  • Olney can’t decide whether the Orioles should buy or sell. What do you think?
  • Roy Oswalt won’t get traded, with Olney linking to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice for his evidence. (Oswalt has, of course, been talking like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.) Also working against a deal for Oswalt: his continued experiments with pitching to contact (to keep the ol’ pitch count down) haven’t been going very well this year, either. His K/9 has been declining for years, of course, but it may have reached a point of no return this season. Whatever happens, I’m sure the ’stros would prefer to move him at peak value, not right now when he has a 4.77 ERA.
  • Homer Bailey, back in Triple A Louisville, isn’t getting any love from the scout quoted here, who says he threw "batting practice fastballs." Bailey was 0-3 with a 8.73 ERA in the majors this year after a hotly anticipated call-up. Given the bounty of young arms they already have, the Reds would probably prefer to trade him…but alas, his value has dropped the way his curveball used to. 

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Sabathia, Blake, Greinke, Tejada

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And now…a fresh Ken Rosenthal column.

  • An opposing viewpoint: Rosenthal says "any team that acquires C.C. Sabathia would gain an exclusive window to sign him long-term before he reaches free agency."  Rosenthal notes that the Brewers and Rays are stacked enough to acquire Sabathia and wouldn’t mind taking draft picks for him after the season.
  • Casey Blake is drawing trade interest; his versatility is a plus.  Rosenthal likes the fit for the Dodgers, Mets, and A’s.
  • An anonymous general manager tossed out this "trade concept": Adam Dunn to the Dodgers for Juan Pierre, Chin-lung Hu, and cash.  Thoughts?
  • Teams such as the Braves, Phillies, and Brewers have expressed interest in Zack Greinke at some point, but the Royals plan to keep him.  He’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
  • Earlier this year the Cubs inquired on David DeJesus, but now they seem content with their Jim Edmonds–Reed Johnson platoon.  Maybe talks will be rekindled after the season?
  • The Astros will talk about any player on the roster without a no-trade clause, which would include Miguel Tejada.  Does that mean Jose Valverde, Hunter Pence, and Wandy Rodriguez aren’t off limits?

Stark’s Latest: K-Rod, Burnett, Oliver Perez, Bedard

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It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to dig in and feast on Jayson Stark’s latest rumor-packed column.

  • The Braves have shifted their focus from starting pitching to an impact bat in left field.  Stark suggests Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay, and Xavier Nady would make sense.  Matt Holliday would be too costly; Adam Dunn is not mentioned.
  • We have seen the surprising rumor that the Angels could pursue C.C. Sabathia.  However, Stark’s sources are in agreement with Bill Plunkett – the Angels are likely to stand pat.
  • Francisco Rodriguez wants four years and more than $60MM, a dangerous record-breaking commitment.  The Halos aren’t even sure if they’d do three years and a vesting option.
  • There have been no recent extension talks between the Angels and Vladimir Guerrero, but his $15MM option for ’09 is an easy call.
  • As we’ve written before, A.J. Burnett is like a rental, but worse.  He either pitches well and opts out or pitches poorly and you’re stuck with him.  Stark adds that despite Burnett’s willingness to pitch for the Cubs, he’s not on their list.  The Cubs are still planning a run at Sabathia.  The Brewers are also serious about the Cleveland ace.
  • The Mets might shop Oliver Perez, but I’d be surprised if he draws much interest.
  • The Blue Jays were already one of Adam Dunn’s ten no-trade teams.  His no-trade rights switched from full to ten teams on June 15th.
  • Bill Bavasi talked to the Reds about bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back to Seattle, but Lee Pelekoudas isn’t interested.
  • Interesting Indians players who might be available: Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, and Franklin Gutierrez.
  • The Yankees aren’t interested in Erik Bedard, but the Phillies are.  The teams have differing opinions on whether Bedard’s surly demeanor would present a problem.

Molony’s Latest: Sabathia, Teixeira, Lewis

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony has a slew of hot stove info today.

  • Molony talked to some "industry types" about C.C. Sabathia, and those guys suggested the Cubs and Angels could be the frontrunners.
  • The Braves could opt for draft picks rather than a Mark Teixeira trade, even if they fall out of the race.  They’re only 4.5 games out though.
  • A David Price promotion could lead the Rays to trade Jason Hammel, Edwin Jackson, or Andy Sonnanstine.  It’ll only work if Price is promoted before the trade deadline.
  • The Cubs have scouted Giants outfielder Fred Lewis but aren’t too serious about it.
  • The Marlins are still looking for a veteran catcher.  Here’s my take on the trade market at the position.

Odds and Ends: Lieber, Tavarez, Oswalt

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We’ve got mostly smaller stuff today, so let’s kick it off with an odds and ends.

On The Failed Brian Roberts Talks

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Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun dug up some information about the failed Brian Roberts trade talks from the past offseason.

  • Zrebiec says one of the Cubs’ offers included Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Donald Veal.  According to Andy MacPhail, a deal was never close.  The O’s continue to hunt for a shortstop.
  • MacPhail also talked to the Indians and Twins about Roberts (the Twins are a new one for me).  It seems that MacPhail may also have spoken to the White Sox.
  • The Orioles don’t seem to be planning to trade Roberts anymore, as they’re 5.5 games out of the wild card.  No talks have occurred yet, but the Orioles could even extend Roberts past ’09.

Heyman’s Latest: Garcia, Ricciardi, Sabathia

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Here’s a look at Jon Heyman’s latest column.

  • At last count, our Freddy Garcia list included the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, Tigers, and Rays.  Heyman adds the Astros, and we also have rumblings about the Cubs.  Although a few may have dropped out, that’s a dozen suitors.
  • Heyman suggests Cito Gaston’s hiring was not J.P. Ricciardi’s decision.  Ricciardi may not last past this season.
  • Heyman’s source says C.C. Sabathia "is believed to be interested in a ’Johan Santana contract.’"  Santana received six years and $137.5MM with a club option, full no-trade clause, and deferred money.
  • Heyman believes the relief market is limited, naming a handful of these pitchers.

Perrotto’s Latest: Sabathia, Bradley

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Time to take a spin through John Perrotto’s lastest column over at Baseball Prospectus.

  • C.C. Sabathia suitors named: Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels.  The Rays seem to be a new name; DRays Bay has a comment thread up on it.  Jon Heyman has similar names but adds the Dodgers to the mix.
  • The Rangers are apparently warming to the idea of trading Milton Bradley (they’re 7.5 games back) but they could still re-sign him in the offseason.

Odds & Ends: Hill, Lowe, Renteria

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Some musings from the central divisions:

  • In this piece by Gordon Wittenmyer covering Carlos Zambrano’s shoulder strain, the Cubs may be forced to shut down Rich Hill.  Hill failed to get through the first inning for Triple-A Iowa start on Friday, recording 2 outs while giving up 6 ER and 4 BB, and the Cubs simply want to give him an extended mental break.  This may turn up the flames even further on the Cubs pursuit of a front line starter.
  • For what it’s worth, Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press says Derek Lowe is unlikely to become a Tiger this season.
  • Will another AL club give up on Edgar Renteria after a year?  In another piece, Morosi thinks Renteria could wind up staying with Detroit despite his $11MM club option and his batting average dropping over .060 points. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland both speak favorably of Renteria as a player and as a guy in the clubhouse. Still, possible free agent replacements do exist so this is worth monitoring.

By Nat Boyle

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